Anatomy of a Crusade, 1213-1221 by Powell James M.;

Author:Powell, James M.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

CHAPTER IX

THE CONQUEST OF DAMIETTA

The stalemate lasted through the summer and into the fall of 1219. Given the small number of reinforcements that arrived from the West in the spring passage of 1219, the army could do little but maintain its defenses and await the arrival of the fall passage. The crusaders had already learned that Frederick II had postponed his arrival in Damietta until March 1220.1 Negotiations over his coronation as emperor were proceeding slowly, despite the fact that the death of Otto IV had removed the possibility of opposition from that quarter. With some reluctance, the pope had agreed to this postponement, though it meant that the expected imperial army could not arrive in Damietta before another year had passed.2 Under these circumstances, the crusaders again had to tailor their initiatives to the limitations imposed by available forces.

There were serious difficulties in laying siege to the city, but the leaders agreed that this approach offered their only viable choice, given the superiority of the sultan's army at Friskr. Fortunately, they were united in this plan and its implementation. The legate provided “copious funds” to those participating in the attack on the city and “the King and others produced ropes and anchors in abundance,” while the Pisans, Genoese, and Venetians attacked from their ships.3 The defenders of the city used Greek fire to repel the attackers, and they reinforced the walls with palisades and wooden towers. The crusaders failed, and not surprisingly, for failure was the usual result in medieval sieges.

In late summer, Francis of Assisi arrived in the crusader camp. He came, not to cheer on the discouraged Christian army or to fight the heathen, but on a mission of peace.4 The sources of the period are sparing of information about this episode. Francis did not journey to Damietta on a whim. He had thought long about relations between Christians and Moslems and had earlier attempted to journey to the East. He was well aware of the risk of martyrdom and, indeed, sought it. A fundamentally charismatic figure rather than a detailed planner, Francis possessed a profound intuitive understanding of the major currents and issues of his time. His visit to Damietta, far from being an event of passing interest, throws substantial light on the tensions and attitudes to be found in the crusader camp at the height of the summer of 1219.

Very likely he arrived in the camp during the latter part of August, at a time when the rank and file of the crusader army felt frustrated over their failure to capture the city and were complaining bitterly about the refusal of their leaders to attack the main Moslem army at Friskr.5 The Gesta Obsidionis Damiate provides a good insight into conditions and attitudes within the camp at this time. The war of attrition was in effect, and there were atrocities on both sides aimed at instilling fear in the other.6 The pressure on the crusade leaders from the rank and file was increasing, and in response they decided to mount an attack on the enemy force.

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